Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-03-27

1uClC Wao AS
fight it out alone!
IF she could have got away from LIN
wood il would not have been so hard. Inc
bald rusticity and poverty of the lives OF
those around her never was so hateful 10
her. only for her mother and the children
she could have turned her back on TINS
scene. The busy whirl, the excitement oil
! CITY work have a fascination for the young;
Shirley could nave plunged into these ana
found rest. At least she could have found
conpenial intellectual companionship. Here
sbe was as utterly alone as Robinson Cru
soe ON his island. But had not her fatner
said-"Take care OF your mother, Shirley,
take care of them alfr"
There was nobody to take care OF the
children, to have patience with her mother,
absolutely nobody but Shirley. Here sne
was. and here she was to be tied 10 ner
country school, correcting the bad gram
mar of the children, listening alternately
to the vulgar neighborhood clack and the
peevish complainipgs of her mother, pus'
ting her hands too 10 work, now with tne
needle. now in household labor and out IN
the grounds. That was to be her life for
ever. hum-drum, like the clicking CT O
blacksmith beetle. Oh! if she could only
get away! But no!
She faced her prospect and saw that the
battle must be fought out in
Fate is hard on women.
Finally Shirley observed that this eating
her heart out in silence was beginning 70
disturb her seriously. How she longed ioi
some break in the dull monotony OF fret
ting?
ting?
One morning she found her brother Pet
seriously i'll of a fever. He became worse
| through the day. Shirley herself went fol
the doctor.
Back of the village was a bideous patch
of ground Of several acres. 1t was called
the common" possibly from the fact tina,
il was common dumping ground Tor all
miscellaneous rubbish OF the town. 10
the growing season it was covered with
weeds.
The summer had been the rainiest on
in many years. As Shirley passed by the
common she saw it was covered with
%starnant, bubbling water. Poisonous eX-
halations seemed to rise from IL ana giisten
in the sun. She entered the village. kanR
weeds fringed the street in front OF nearly
every house. The stagnant water lay IN
pools along the roadway, at intervals,
through the whole village. She wondered
how it was she had never noticed the weeds
and decaying water before.
She had scarcely been in the village since
her return. But now she was struck with
the sickly, greenish-yellow hue on the faces
of persons she met. Surely, they did not
look like that always. She neared the
center of interest in the village, Simpkins'
grocery. She saw something unusual had
taken place. A huddle of men, sparsely
sprinkled with members of the weaker sex,
were gathered there. A look OF gloom, OF
fear was in their faces.
An epidemic of fever had broken out in
the village. The children and old people
were dying. Some of Shirley's best pupils
were down with it. Being so wholly taken
up with her own griefs, Shirley had not
heard of it.
For, something unusual, Deacon Dur
ham was in the throng. Moreover he was
talking, and that excitedly. He was in his
shirt sleeves, his skeleton arms waving to
and fro, his thin, gray locks shaking with
excitement rs he talked. There was the
CLEAN of fanaticism in his eye.
1.-THE wrath of the Lord is upon Lin
wood" Shirley heard him say. This sick
ness Isl judgment upon the people for their
sins. The children walk in the ways OF
the ungodly. They go swimming in wa
tiers on the Sabbath day. The women are
disobedient to their husbands, setting
themselves up on the level of men. They
attire themselves in gay apparel, not con-
dusiye to the glory of God, yea, wearing
bOnnets with flowers in them. Whereas
sin came into the world by a woman, there
fore is the anger of the Lord kindled against
this town. These prcsumptuous females
have brought n profane instrument of mu-
sic into the Sabbath school,"
His eye fell on Shirley. The crowd part
ed slightly. Pointing his skinny finger at
her, the deacon continued his fierce denun-
citation:
"Yea, following the lead of goddess fe-
male teachers, they have set up the scandal
lous practice of praising of the Lord with
fddlcs. The Almighty will not hold them
guiltleSs. Il suffer not n woman to teach
This people have departed from the straight
wsy. Therefore | visit them with the pes
thence that walketh in darkness, saith the
Lord. Woe! woe! woe! to Sodom and Go.
morrahn'
ooh, bother! Deacon Durham, y said
Shirley, chats nonsense. There is not q
word in the Biblcagainst praising the Lord
with iddles. And as to washing in waters,
if the children of this town did it a good
deal O~ftener, they would be better of and
healthier. The Lord never said a female
should not teach, either. 1t was q man
said hat But | quite agree with you that
the Almighty has sent a pestilence on Lin
wood. You are right that His wrath is
kindled against this people for their sins,
truly enough. He is visiting His wrath
upon them because they are lazy and slOy-
emily. Look at that Common ont there! 1t
is a blister on the face of a civilized COM
munity. That's where the fever m
from mostly. 1t has rained nearly every
day this season. The wind has been from
the west. 1t has brought disease and death
upon its wings from that foul, reeking
pond over there. Look at these nasty pud-
dies in front of your very doors! Look at
these masses of rank, rotten weeds. Two
hours work a week from each gentleman
who spends so much leisure time in the
grocery would change this dirty, pokey,
little town iutO a garden Of Eden. But
they don't give it. They let the common
lie fostering in the sun, month after month,
bring fever and sickness. This is why the
wrath of the!Almighty is kindled against
them, and not because a poor little woman
wears a flower in her bonnet. Is it likely
tha CREATOR of the universe would he in
! such small business as that"
mo, by thunderm exclaimed Jim Sweet.
Then Shirley got her doctor and her
medicines and went home. The sickness
ragged in earnest. II took off Hughie Car
ter and Katy Tringle. Mis- Simpkins was
left a widow. The gossips said her hus-
baud was just TOO lazy to fight the fever,
and so gave up and died. Pet Carstone was
very i'll. The pestilence attacked old Nine.
Frenchy, Mrs. Carstones nurse. At last it
fastened its clutches upon THAI tough old
Christian, Deacon Durham himself. 1t
shonk his ancient hones IL scorched his